“Not all those who wander are lost.” J. R. R. Tolkien

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The Un-Cruise Fab Five (plus a little surprise)

In the travel world there are, generally speaking, two kinds of travel companies: the ones striving to offer something for everyone and those like Un-Cruise Adventures who are quite content, thank you very much, to provide everything for someone. To put it so simply even I can’t misconstrue, there are generalists and there are specialists.

Honesty compels me to admit that there are a myriad of places in the world where Un-Cruise is simply not an option. They do serve five incredible destinations, however, and should you long to experience one of those, congratulations are in order. You have just won the travel equivalent of the Powerball lottery! OK, that might be slight hyperbole but it is definitely your lucky day.

You see, regarding those destinations Un-Cruise Adventures does offer, they are all over them like “white on rice”. (If you are not familiar with that expression you need to listen to last Sunday’s segment on PBS radio’s A Way With Words.) If you are a regular reader, you are probably not shocked to learn that this is my favorite radio program.

So which five destinations are we talking about? Some of you have already cheated and looked closely at the image above and know the answer. If you are over fifty, that bit of skullduggery was likely of no help anyway since, like me, you probably can’t read print that small. If you are looking for your reading glasses, they are on your head.

Here is a quick look at all five with a comment or two about each one. (The same sneaky little buggers who cheated and looked at the map have undoubtedly already glanced at the bottom of this post to find the little surprise. Tsk tsk . . . very naughty.)

Alaska’s Inside Passage

On the Un-Cruise website there is this nice quote from Henry David Thoreau, “We need the tonic of wilderness. We can never have enough of nature.” Un-Cruise offers more than a dozen different Alaska cruises ranging from 7 to 21 nights. If you enjoy wildlife (presuming that term doesn’t conjure up images of table dancing at Senior Frog’s in Cancun), you will be pleased to discover that every one of these adventures teems with God’s creatures. You will encounter such diverse creatures as humpback whales, orca, bears, wolves, deer, bald eagles and all manner of sea birds.

Washington and British Columbia

I would venture to guess that, unless you are from the Pacific Northwest, most of you are like me and unfamiliar with the seductive sounding San Juan Islands, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Salish Sea, Princess Louisa Inlet and the vast archipelago of islands that grace the coasts of Washington and British Columbia. Let’s be honest, you were born to have High Tea in Butchart Gardens and to take in nature’s wonders from a kayak or skiff. I know I was!

Columbia and Snake Rivers

By any chance are you looking for something extremely cool (in both the literal and metaphorical sense) to do this fall or next spring? Without giving away too much about my next post, Un-Cruise Adventures offers four very distinctive styles of adventure. One of these is called Heritage Adventures. I know this is a shameless tease but come back again and I will reveal everything. (Hmm. That didn’t come out quite right!) In any case, if you love history with period costumes, legacy reenactments and dead people walking . . OK, just kidding about the last bit . . you are going to LUV this experience.

Mexico’s Sea of Cortés

To cite the Un-Cruise website again, “Just south of California lies an unrushed and uncrowded inland sea known as the Gulf of California, Vermillion Sea, Sea of Cortez or Sea of Cortés. Apparently you can call the thing whatever strikes your fancy at the moment. I sort of like the Sea of Moi but maybe that’s a trifle pretentious. I love the fact that this destination offers an area the writer John Steinbeck referred to as “ferocious with life” but also the culture and beauty of the mission town of Loreto and the rich history of La Paz.

Hawaiian Islands

Last but hardly least is the ever popular Hawaiian Islands. Captain Cook dubbed them the Sandwich Islands after his visit in 1778 because, according to his diary, he had an incredible pastrami on rye at “The Little Mermaid Dive Shop” on Oahu. See, it’s fascinating little historical tidbits like this you will learn on an Un-Cruise (if you travel with me, anyway).

Goodness, time flies when the words are flowing from your keyboard like syrup from a Vermont maple tree. I do seem to recall promising you a little surprise. If you like the fab five destinations, exercise a little patience and in late 2015 — if the dirt doctor hasn’t paid you a house call by then — you can add Costa Rica, Panama and Belize to the list creating the Exciting Eight!

When you come back for your next visit (I prefer the assumptive approach), I will tell you about the four very different style of adventures offered by Un-Cruise Adventures. You will discover which one floats your boat, so to speak. Until then, which of the Fab Five destinations appeals to you the most?